Fire-rescue device



May 22, 1923. 1,456,106

. H. E. HODGSON I Y FIRE RESCUE DEVICE Filed June 16 1921 v ATTORNEY Patented May 22, 15923.

- 'UNETEE) stares,

earner FIRE-RESCUE DEVICE.

Application filed June 16, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRIETTE E. HoocsoN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Fire-Rescue Device, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and compactly transportable fire rescue device, by means of which a number of persons trapped on a roof, on ledges, or

' in a court may be'hoisted at one time to a neighboring higher roof or other point of safety. The device comprises a sort of multipletrapeze grid, or net, to which a number of persons may cling with their hands and feet, and connected cables whereby it may be lowered to those to be rescued and drawn up with its human freight.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

Fig. l is an elevation of the device with its hoisting and lowering cables and its tail rope broken away to indicate indefinite length; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the mode of use.

The multiple trapeze 1 is preferably constructed of rope, though other materials are not necessarily excluded. As illustrated it comprises a plurality of horizontal cords 2 and a plurality of vertical cords 3, which are knotted together at the intersections, as indicated at 4:. In this way a large-mesh net is provided, of such nature that a number of individuals can stand .on the horizontal cords and hold with their hands to the horizontal or vertical cords, or to the leaders 5 which extend upward from the top of the trapeze. These leaders extend from the vertical cords 3 of the net, of which they are preferably continuations, and. they are gathered together in converging relation in knots 6, which are connected by a cross-tie 7. From the knots 6 the leaders 5 converge upward in the form of cables 8 to a common knot 9, from which a central cord 10 preferably extends downward to the center of the cross-tie 7. From the knot 9 one or more (preferably two) cables 8 extend to Serial No. 477,874.

in Fig. 2 the device will be most commonly used for lowering from a higher roof to a lower roof of a burning building where people may have sought refuge, and for drawing them therefrom to the greater height.

In order to guide the trapeze from below while being hoisted, or prior to being hoisted, the trapeze is provided with a tail rope 11. This tail rope may be manipulated by a fireman lowered for the purpose from the upper to the lower roof, or by one of the persons remaining there to be rescued on a subsequent trip.

With this device a number of persons can be rescued at a time from a location from which there might otherwise be no escape, and tragedies which have occurred in the past'can be quickly and easily averted.

What I claim as new is:

1. A fire-rescue device comprising a net to which a number of persons may cling, said net comprising three or more vertical members spaced apart and of suflicient flexibility to permit rolling, and a plurality of horizontal members spaced apart and intersect ing said vertical members, and means for fixedly connecting said vertical and horizontal members at their intersections; and means connected to said net by which it may be hoisted.

2. A fire-rescue device comprising a net to which a number of persons may cling, said net comprising three or more flexible vertical members spaced apart and sufliciently flexible to permit rolling. and a plurality of horizontal members suiiiciently flexible to permit rolling and spaced apart and intersecting said vertical members, and means for fixedly connecting said vertical and horizontal members at their intersections; and

,means connected to said net by which it may be hoisted; the whole device with its hoisting means being adapted to be compactly rolled or folded for easy transportation and handling and to facilitate quick extension for use.

3. A fire-rescue-device comprisinga net to which a number of persons may cling, said net comprising three or more vertical members spaced apart and sufficiently flexible to permit rolling and, a plurality of horizontal members spaced apart and intersecting said vertical members and sufiiciently flexible to permit rolling, means for fixedly connecting said members at their intersectionsffiexible leads in continuation of and converging upwardly from said vertical members, flexible cables consisting afgroups of said leaders and a flexible hoisting means HARBIETIE n. HODGSON. 

